Baiting Him (How to Catch an Alpha 2)

“Good,” he says softly. “I’ll bring LeFou down with me. He can stay with you while I’m at work tonight.”

“That works for me.” A smile I can’t help slides into place as happiness and anticipation fill the pit of my stomach. Now, not only do I get to see him tonight, but him bringing LeFou guarantees I will see him again in the morning. “I’ll see you when I get home.”

“All right, sweetheart. Have fun with your friend.”

“I will. Later.”

“Later, babe.” He hangs up, and I pull my phone from my ear.

“You’re in love,” Leah shouts, startling me, and I shake my head while she nods. “You are! You’re totally in love with this guy.”

“I’m not,” I deny as my heart suddenly starts to speed up. It’s not a lie; I’m not in love with him, but I’m for sure falling hard and fast.

“Your face says you are.”

“Leah, I haven’t known Gaston long enough to be in love with him. I just . . .” I chew the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out how I feel. “I just like him a lot.”

“Looking back, I think I fell in love with Tyler while I was convincing myself we were just friends. You know, that was just a few days after the first time we really spent time together.” She and her now husband met under unusual circumstances, and although Leah tried to avoid him, his dog and her cat constantly stirred up trouble, which forced them together.

“Okay, but—”

“Never mind.” She cuts me off before I can tell her our circumstances are totally different. “I know I’ll never be able to convince you, but I’m just reserving the right to say ‘I told you so’ when the time comes.”

“Whatever.” I roll my eyes.

“I have to say . . . ,” she starts while flipping open the box on the table between us and inspecting the six cupcakes I brought her. After deciding on a chocolate cupcake with chocolate cherry chip icing and lifting it to her mouth, she says, “It’s going to be fun watching you come to terms with things. Now tell me everything about this guy.”

“I thought you were feeding me dinner,” I prompt as she begins to lick the icing off the top of the cupcake.

“I am.” She waves her hand toward her cell. “I called in our order when you let me know you were on your way, so we’ve got time to talk before our food gets here.”

“Can I at least have a glass of wine first?” I ask sarcastically, and she grins.

“Absolutely.” She stands, taking her cupcake with her as she walks to the fridge. She pulls out a bottle of my favorite rosé, then pours me a glass and comes back toward the table.

“You’re not drinking?” My brows pull together in confusion as she hands me the glass before she takes her seat.

“Well . . .” She looks away, and my eyes narrow.

“Well what?”

“Tyler and I have decided we’re going to try to have a baby, and even though I’m not pregnant now, I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to make that happen for us.”

“Oh my God,” I whisper, staring at her, and then I set down my glass, stand, and engulf her in a hug. “This is so exciting.”

“I’m not pregnant yet.” She laughs, and I laugh along with her.

“I don’t care; this is awesome.” I notice her cheeks have gotten pink, but her eyes have filled with concern. “What?”

“What if it doesn’t happen?” she asks softly, sounding worried. We have mutual friends who’ve tried and never accomplished getting pregnant, so I know her concern is valid.

“It will happen, and when it does, you’re going to be an amazing mom,” I reassure her.

“I want that.” Her expression gentles. “I want to be a mom, but even more, I want Tyler to be a dad.”

“It will happen,” I repeat. “Just don’t stress over it, and have fun trying.”

The worry shifts out of her eyes, and happiness takes over her features. “We’ll definitely have fun trying.”

I laugh as I let her go, then settle into my chair and pick up my glass of wine. “How much fun?”

“You can’t even imagine.”

“I bet I can.” I give her a knowing wink before I take a sip of wine, and she bursts out laughing.

Once she’s pulled herself together, she tips her head to the side, studying me before she demands, “Spill.”

I smile, take another sip of wine, and then tell her about Gus, starting from the moment he and I met in the men’s bathroom. Her eyes are wide as I talk, and they stay that way until our food arrives and she goes to answer the door.

“So he showed up at the grocery store on a motorcycle?” Leah breathes with wide eyes, the forkful of orange chicken and fried rice an inch from her mouth completely forgotten.